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Elephant

CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCE

Elephants inspire us. They are also culturally important and a cornerstone of the $34 billion tourism industry across Africa. Elephants play a critical role as ecosystem engineers, maintaining mineral-rich clearings in the forest, on which many other species rely, and providing a way for important soil nutrients to be spread around at a continental scale. As natural gardeners, and sculptors of Africa’s most iconic landscapes, elephants help to disperse seeds and create spaces for other plant species to grow. The species faces an uncertain future in Nigeria. Once widespread across the whole country, elephants have declined by more than 50% in less than 20 years and it is certain that fewer than savanna elephants survive across the country today. Most of the remaining elephant populations are small, fragmented and probably not viable in the long term. Reliable up to date information about many of these small herds is generally lacking. However, it is known that a small herd of elephants survives in the region around Kwiambana Game Reserve and Kamuku National Park in northern Nigeria. Small migratory groups of elephants may still move between Nigeria and the Baban Rafi forest in Niger, between Faro National Park in Cameroon and Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Nigeria and between Waza National Park in Cameroon and Chad Basin National Park in Nigeria though these movements are unconfirmed. The largest and most important elephant herd remaining in the country is located at Yankari Game Reserve where an estimated 100-150 elephants survive

THREATS

Illegal hunting to feed the ivory trade is an enormous threat, with some 100,000 elephants across Africa killed illegally between 2010 and 2012 — or one every 15 minutes. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation are also threats, as is human¬-elephant conflict. Furthermore. Nigeria is widely known to function as a regional hub for the illegal trade in ivory (much of it from central Africa) and this has undoubtedly fueled demand for ivory within the country.

WCS APPROACH

Our goal is to help create a world where people and ecologically functioning populations of wild elephants can co-exist and thrive across the elephants' range. To get there, we employ three major strategies:

Stop the killing. Despite public outcry, poaching operations continue to grow in scale and sophistication, terrorizing and threatening not just wildlife but people too. WCS fights for elephants on the ground—monitoring populations, managing protected areas, conducting anti-poaching patrols, developing intelligence networks, and working with judiciaries to ensure that arrests result in due-process prosecutions.

Stop the trafficking. The ivory trade generates millions of dollars, which goes in part to support criminal syndicates that have been linked to extremist groups. We're active at all levels to stop the illegal ivory chain. We support law enforcement and case building, monitor the judiciary, and aid customs officials.

Stop the demand. The majority of illegal ivory ends up as pointless trinkets and carvings, which are sold in markets around the world. Through attention-grabbing events and grassroots petitions, we've built momentum for elephants. Together, we can shut ivory markets around the world.